Carry Me Home
by ExecutiveShrimp
Summary: AU, 2x1: It's love at first sight. But Duo needs to think twice about this one-night stand. Warnings: mpreg
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings for chapter 1: sexual content**

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**Carry Me Home**

He drank so much that he should have forgotten, but he would always remember that Friday evening.

It was like all Fridays. Like most Saturdays. Like many Thursdays. And even like some Sundays. Old friends dragged him to the same clubs, where they met different people. Or rather, did he drag his friends? He got caught up with tequila shots and maintained his steady buzz with mixed cocktails – the sugar high combatted the laziness of drunkenness. As the night went on, the umbrella's in his drinks became increasingly amusing. The people as well.

At the second bar he heavily leaned into one guy and he later made out with someone, who may or may not have been that same guy.

They lost part of their group to a game of pool; guys not drunk enough to choose dancing and grinding over winning.

The third bar was little more than a pit stop on their way to the club, where they knew the line outside would be long. The remaining threesome of friends occupied a leather booth in the back, seeing if they could make new friends for the night before the final stage.

Without warning someone slipped into Duo's lap; a body fitting against him like he was molded for the sole purpose. Arms snaked around his neck. Breath was warm in his face, still smelling fresh, no hint of alcohol yet. Duo looked up into blue eyes, bemused.

"Quick, laugh like I said something incredibly funny," the stranger urged.

He shot a look at his friends, but then gladly obliged and he liked how the other joined him in laughter. He felt the rumble in his chest, since he had reactively wrapped an arm around him to keep him secured in his lap.

The blue-eyed man shot a look over his shoulder and then turned back for his second command: "Now kiss me like I'm the love of your life."

He did.

Two smirking mouths met. Lips moved together. Eyelashes fluttered against his cheek. It ended as abruptly as it had started.

Duo stammered something incoherent when the handsome stranger disentangled himself from him and rose to his feet.

The explanation was: "Sorry, my friends aren't here yet and I saw my ex."

"Oh." Duo searched the crowd, although he had no idea whom he should be on the lookout for. He wondered if it was a gimmick. If it was, it was effective. "Is he gone now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks."

Duo's group of three became a group of seven when the stranger's friends approached and everyone exchanged introductions.

Quatre. Trowa. Couple. Madly in love.

WuFei. Straight. Aggressively annoyed.

Heero. Single? Lovely.

One round of shots later, they all headed for the club. The line was even longer than expected and most were ready to give up after waiting for over half an hour, but Duo convinced them all to stay. The club was nothing special, but Heero was.

Unassumingly beautiful, even in the harsh streetlight. Puffs of white air escaped parted lips that spoke, joked, quivered in the cold and smiled. His cheeks dimples with each smile and Duo wanted to keep seeing them, so he made as many lame jokes as he could and was rewarded each time.

Wind cut through the street and seemed to explode out of alleys and moved his bangs. Whenever he flipped his hair to get it out of his face, his blue eyes caught the light overhead and a shroud of clouds rolled in to hide the envy of the stars. His hands never left the pockets of his unzipped coat. As he gestured, his coat opened and Duo snuck glances at a button-up that fit him loosely and black jeans that fit him snugly. Tan timberlands, that looked too big on him, didn't match the all-black outfit.

Everyone around them groaned and shouted at the ushers when the first of the rain started to fall. But Duo was preoccupied by how the droplets landed on the glasses of Heero's gold wire frames, only then realizing the man had been wearing glasses all this time.

The group was let inside before the rain would soak them. They checked their coats and stepped into the music.

WuFei was entertained by Dorothy, not realizing she was lesbian and had bigger balls than any of them. Trowa and Quatre entertained each other. Mike Howard entertained himself, never too old for the club scene.

Duo and Heero stood at the bar. Quatre and Trowa behind Heero, making out. WuFei and Dorothy behind Duo – WuFei definitely wanted to make out and, knowing Dorothy, she was likely to humor him if he proved persistent enough. Mike had drifted off onto the dance floor.

"Shots, tequila, for all of us," Duo ordered when the bartender made it their way and he gestured at the six of them.

Six glasses were lined up and the bartender poured, spilling on the glass countertop as he swiftly went from one glass to the other.

Everyone grabbed a shot and five downed the drinks without a moment of hesitation. But Heero paused with the glass halfway to his lips and turned to ask the couple something.

Quatre and Trowa both nodded and the short blonde said: "Of course! That's what tonight is for!"

The blue-eyed man grinned and swallowed the tequila.

Two shots and matching cocktails with umbrella later, Heero leaned in closer to Duo to say: "Aren't I boring you? I'm not very good at this."

"Good at what?"

"Dancing and stuff."

Duo laughed, but the sound was mostly swallowed by the bass. "Well, we haven't actually danced, so…"

"That's what I mean!" Heero laughed too. "We're at a club half the city wants to get in, and I'm standing at the bar, dressed like a substitute teacher, just _talking_. And I'm not very good at talking either."

"I think you're very good at talking."

"You're a very good liar." His blue eyes sparkled so brightly not even the reflection of strobe lights in his glasses could distract from them.

"For what it's worth, I don't think you're dressed like a substitute teacher." He had to shout harder and harder as on the stage, not far from the bar, patrons were invited up to strip and pole dance as some sort of lewd charity contest.

"I am though!" He sipped his pink drink. "A substitute teacher, that is."

"No shit! If they looked like you back in my day, I might not have dropped out." The conversation had been like that all evening; spontaneously unguarded. Sharing personal information mostly for the sake of a punchline.

"So what do you do?"

Duo looked down at himself, at his clothes. "What do you think? What am I dressed like?"

"Sexy!" He smirked.

"I don't think that's a profession. Guess again."

"Accountant."

His laughter was rumbling and he felt it in his chest, even more than the beat of Ginuwine's '_Pony_', to which a buff guy was grinding against the pole with the remnants of his torn shirt hanging off his shoulders. "Does your accountant wear a lot of mesh shirts?"

"In my head he does."

"You fantasize about your accountant?"

"Tax breaks are a turn-on!"

He raised his cocktail in a toast. "You really are a substitute teacher."

"Rude!" He meant to playfully nudge him against his chest, but in his inebriated state he forgot he was holding a drink and he ended up spilling it on Duo. "Of, fuck. I'm sorry!"

The liquid was cold against his heated skin. Heero's impish look had him laughing again. "You really are bad at this!"

"Shut up!" With his free hand Heero uselessly smoothed over Duo's chest, as if that would help the wet mess he had made. "I just don't do this often!"

"You were pretty smooth, back at the bar."

Heero shamefully ducked his head between his shoulders. "I didn't really see my ex there!" He wouldn't have admitted to that if he wasn't already well on his way to drunk. "My friends dared me to go up to you. I didn't know what else to do They made me do it, I swear."

"Why's that?" Duo kept grinning at the shorter man, enjoying the way his hand had stopped moving and just rested against his damp skin, a little sticky from the sugary, alcoholic beverage he had spilled there.

"To sow some wild oats."

"Why?"

"Before it's too late, I guess."

He laughed and shook his head. "How old are you?" He couldn't be much older than twenty-five, so the notion of needing to rush the oat-sowing was ridiculous. Duo was nearly thirty and he had never sowed more oats than he had done in the last couple of years.

"Too old to be trying to get into any of this stuff."

"Oh, but mister substitute teacher: you're never too old to learn," he replied glibly, leaning in not so much to be heard but for Heero to feel his warm breath on his neck. When he pulled back, Heero was smirking.

The banter continued, becoming increasingly less clever and less subtle – if it ever had been. Heero's cheeks flushed red, not even the flashing blue lights could hide his endearing blush.

Duo lost count of how many drinks he had had. How many volunteers had gone up to the stage. How many of their group of seven had already left. Everything was about Heero.

The volume of the music was dialed up and up until they couldn't hear each other anymore in spite of their best efforts and regardless of how many times they shouted at each other: "What?!"

So they kissed instead. Duo's hands were on Heero's waist. Heero's hands were on Duo's shoulders. The drink he was still holding, was steadily spilling down Duo's back and getting into his long braid, but he couldn't care.

When they finally parted, Heero laughed and offered – still trying to guess Duo's profession: "Kisser!"

"_'Ass-kisser'_ might be close!" He shot back, although he didn't like thinking about his job during the weekend.

"What?!"

He threw his head back in laughter and said: "Never mind!"

Heero looked clueless. "What?! I can't hear you!" He cast a glance over Duo's shoulder at the man on pouring a drink over himself only to shake it out of his hair and dance to the ironic soundtrack of _Girls, Girls, Girls_.

"Stripper?" Heero wondered, in response to the mesh shirt the dancer was wearing, not unlike Duo's.

The tall man did not like Heero's attention going elsewhere. He didn't want the young man to be sowing oats with anybody other than him that night. So he kissed him again. Demandingly. Passionately.

He would have kissed him all night if the other wasn't suddenly pulled out of his arms.

Trowa and Quatre had appeared at their side. The taller one of the two draped himself over his partner and it was then that Duo noticed the wedding band on his finger, to match Quatre's.

"You're next!" Said the blonde with an evil grin that didn't seem to suit him, even though Duo knew nothing about the guy. His face was just too kind, too sweet.

In response to Heero's quizzical expression, the two friends nodded up to the stage in unison. Blue eyes widened behind wire-frame glasses. His protest consisted of a soundless mantra of "no's".

Reading Quatre's lips, Duo knew the blonde was hissing "Yes" is response. And he let go of Trowa's arm, wrapped around him, long enough to poke Heero in the stomach. "Show off that body!"

Heero shot Duo a shocked – bordering on panicked – look.

'Girls, Girls, Girls' winded down, with the dancer left in nothing but his underwear, compelled by the beat of the song and the cheers of the crowd. Some viewers reached out to stuff dollar bills into his briefs, even though the charity was collecting entirely different donations, in exchange for the extra attention the contest was getting the club that night. There wasn't that long of a line outside every Friday night.

A drag queen hostess signaled in the end of the performance and ushered the nearly naked man off stage. Quatre and Trowa physically pushed Heero towards the stage, towards the awaiting hostess, who helped him up. Duo followed to the crowd, partly sympathetic, but mostly curious. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the devious couple, looking up at their stricken friend.

Some of Heero's protest was amplified by the Queen's microphone. "I really don't think-"

"Honey," She drawled, "it's for _charity_." With a flick of her hand she cued the DJ to start the track and she backed away as the first guitar riffs of _Pour Some Sugar On Me_ filled the club and Duo's chest.

Heero stood awkwardly on the stage during the intro, looking to his friends and then the hostess for help. The crowd encouraged him with cheers and catcalls. And Duo chuckled when Heero's drunken, shy logic caused him to kick off his shoes first and then he fumbled to take off his glasses and hand them to the drag queen for safekeeping.

As the first chorus started, he finally moved, gyrating his hips, digging the fingers of one hand into his hair and hooking the thumb of the other through one of the belt loops of his jeans. His head was down. He might have been staring at his feet, or had his eyes closed. With his bangs covering his face, nobody could tell. Whatever it was – the music, the roaring crowd, the alcohol – he grew more confident and his hands began to wonder, dragging his shirt up enough to expose some of his belly before popping buttons one by one.

Duo watched, enthralled. Heero looked up and his blue gaze found his, making everyone else disappear. It was like Heero was dancing just for him and he hoped the other man felt that too.

Emboldened by the lustful stare he was met with, Heero approached the pole and swung around it. He dipped down a few times and pulling himself up by the steel rod, grinding his crotch along the length. His legs were impossibly long in his skinny jeans and his shirt fell open during his dance, exposing a tight, lithe physique.

The crowd called for him to take the shirt off and he complied, just as the bridge evolved into the final chorus. He tossed it and a random stranger caught it. With the oversized shirt gone, it was revealed just how well those jeans fit him.

The movements of his body were supple and wiry muscles moved under golden skin. Duo's gaze trailed down his spine, dipping into the hollow of his back and gliding over the roundness of his ass. His fingers gripped the pole strongly as he danced around it and his hair danced around his face. He popped the button of his low-riding jeans, exposing only a glimpse of underwear, but he didn't strip further, in spite of the pleas from the crowd. He turned around, dragging his hands up the pole behind him until they were stretched above his head. He arched his back. Shadows licked at ribs and abdominal muscles. The pole fit between his ass cheeks. Heero let himself sink down onto his knees and positioned himself on all fours. His wild hair fell into his face again but Duo still felt the prickle of those piercing blue eyes staring only at him. He pulled himself up by the pole again. There was sweat in his hair now and when he ran a hand through it, the bangs remained brushed back.

Quatre and Trowa were louder than anyone else; louder than everyone else. They urged him on through the finale.

Heero's left hand glided down his neck and over his torso and he grabbed himself through his jeans. It was apparent he was completely beside himself, drunk on something that was new to him. He was liberated. Duo was as amused as mesmerized.

When the song ended, the roar of the crowd was deafening.

Whatever had come over him, left as abruptly as it came. Heero bowed awkwardly and then scurried to the edge of the stage where the braided man helped the other off the stage, gripping his waist and setting him down on the dance floor. Their kiss was interrupted by the hostess handing Heero his glasses back with a smirk and a sassy comment purred into the microphone.

Heero held the glasses in his hand, between their chests.

The break between songs was long enough for Duo to say: "You're a good liar too."

"Liar?"

"You said you were no good at 'dancing and stuff'. You are."

"Really?"

Duo nodded fervently. He was hard and with the way they were pressed together, Heero should have felt it.

He laughed nervously in response. "I never would have done that if not for you."

"Me?"

"I've felt invincible since you first kissed me at the bar."

The music restarted and Duo decided that the best response anyway was just to kiss him again.

Heero's shirt was never returned to him, but luckily they did find his boots.

"Wanna come home with me?" Duo asked as he watched the other haphazardly tie his laces to the best of his abilities. Off to the side of the stage, behind the big stereo's, where his boots had landed, the music wasn't quite as loud.

"No." Without a pause he shot back: "Wanna come home with me?"

Duo nodded. Location didn't matter much to him.

"Wait. I need to ask Quatre and Trowa something first. Meet me by the coat room?"

"Sure." The situation was confusing to Duo, but he didn't want to waste any time asking questions. He let his hands slip off Heero's naked, heated skin and he made his way to the coat racks with both their ticket stubs. He waited with two coats draped over his arm. Heero made him wait long enough to cause him doubt. What was keeping him? Did he still want to do this?

His smile was beaming when the brave performer joined him by the exit and he helped Heero into his coat and kept his arms wrapped around him for extra warmth as they stepped into the cold night air. They kissed on the sidewalk to stay warm as Duo kept half an eye on the traffic. When the first cab appeared, he broke the kiss and raised his long arm to get the driver's attention.

The yellow car screeched to a halt and Duo ushered Heero into the back seat first and crawled in after him.

They made out heavily in the back seat. Duo took advantage of Heero's shirt having gone missing and reached up under his coat to tease him with light touches to his fluttering abdomen and nipples that were pert from the chill and the excitement.

The driver didn't give a damn and casually interrupted them to verify the address.

Heero made small sounds that drove Duo mad. His ears were still ringing from the overbearing music back at the club, but the pleasant, vibrating hums of his partner drowned out the high pitch. A hand was in Duo's lap, touching him _exactly_ the way he wanted, so intuitively that his drunken mind almost mistook it for his own.

The car stopped in front of an apartment building and Heero apologized before leading Duo up four flights of stairs.

"Jesus Christ," he puffed when they collided with the door to Heero's apartment. "Testing my stamina?" He pressed himself against the shorter man, forgetting that they still needed to get inside. He slid a leg between Heero's and slotted them together. That had them groaning into each other's mouths.

"Testing mine?" Heero muttered as he rutted against him.

Duo's grin interrupted their kiss long enough for Heero's senses to return to him so he could unlock the door and pull Duo inside.

He shot a quick glance around himself. The apartment was small, decorated with dark colors. It instantly felt like a safe little cave, away from the rest of the world.

Heero flicked a switch and a single, Marrakech style lamp over the dining table lit up the darkness, casting decorative shapes of light on dark green walls. Soon, Duo was distracted again, by lips, by hands, by a nose nuzzling his neck, by an erection lining up with his. He delved his fingers into Heero's thick hair and took control to plunder his wanton mouth.

Their thick coats fell to the floor and Duo quickly stripped himself out of his shirt to catch up to Heero's state of undress. With locked lips Heero guided his guest through the apartment, maneuvering around the dining table and bypassing the first door to go through the second.

The walls of the bedroom may well have been black, but it was too dark to really be able to tell. The light from the living room barely reached and the streetlights outside were filtered by the curtains. The sheets they landed on were definitely white though and smelled wonderfully of Heero – a scent already distinct to Duo.

Heero apologized again, like he had before dragging Duo up all those stairs.

Duo kissed along his throat and then his collarbone.

"No anal," the shorter man said, moaning at the ministrations.

The other let his teeth scrape along Heero's skin. He was a little disappointed, but not enough for it to kill his mood. It wasn't an uncommon rule for a one-night stand. Although Duo had no intention of letting this be nothing more than a one-night stand. He nipped at Heero's jaw, at his chin and at his bottom lip. "What do you want?"

"You," was the effortless reply.

He snickered. "Can you be more specific? Mister substitute teacher?"

"Nnnn…" Heero wrapped his legs around Duo's waist. "Want you in my mouth. Then I want to fuck your mouth."

"In that order?" He teased.

"Yeah."

"Whatever you want, Teach."

So that was exactly what they did. Duo undressed them both, first himself, then Heero. Laughing while he clawed at the tight jeans as Heero kept crawling out of his reach to get condoms from his nightstand on the other side of the bed, where he put aside his glasses.

The tall, long-haired man lay propped up against the pillows and let his hands play with his lover's wild hair as the man sucked him off. He lay between his legs and his face was hidden behind his bangs. Once in a while, Duo brushed them away and shivered each time for their gazes would meet. He stopped him before he would shoot his load into the condom and coaxed Heero to straddle him. He scooted down until he was on the same level as Heero's raised hips. He rolled the condom onto him and took his into his mouth, sucking greedily before simply relaxing and giving the other the freedom to thrust into him. He rid himself of his own condom and jerked off, but couldn't keep up with Heero.

After Heero's orgasm, he tossed the young man back, to lie on the bed. He kneeled over him and pumped his fist over his cock until he came all over Heero's chest and stomach.

With a self-satisfied grin, he slumped down to lay next to the other.

Once they had caught their breath, they both chuckled.

Heero pushed himself up with a groan. He took the condom off himself and cleaned up with tissues from the nightstand. "Messy," he remarked.

It was Duo's turn to apologize. It wasn't exactly sincere. He smiled when Heero dropped down next to him again. He cocked his head to stare at him. "You're pretty," he drawled and he laughed at how non-sexy and stupid he was being.

Heero pressed himself against Duo's side and the tip of his nose was cold in the crook of Duo's shoulder.

He wormed an arm around the other and held him to him tightly. He breathed in the smell that clung to his hair. "Wanna do this again sometime next week?"

"I can't." The response was little more than a sigh against Duo's neck. "I have plans."

He chuckled. "For the entire week?"

"For the next nine months."

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**Yep. **

**Yep, I went there.**

**It means what you think it means. **

**This is purely a guilty pleasure free-write story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Carry Me Home**

Everyone kept telling him he was crazy and he couldn't disagree. Still, he stood in front of that apartment building on Tuesday evening, looking up at the windows. Not even knowing which were of the apartment he had been in the Friday before. He took it as some sort of sign that he was able to remember enough of the address to input in his car's navigation to get him there. A misremembered street name that corrected automatically to the right one and a house number with a three too many led him to a street that he recognized and he slowly drove along, antagonizing other traffic, until he found the red brick building.

There weren't any names on the doorbells by the front door. He had no idea which apartment was Heero's. He had started ringing random doorbells and had begun to second-guess himself right away.

This _was_ crazy.

And a little stalker-y too.

He idled on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, uncertain what to do. Did he really want this? Did he want it that much? He couldn't even begin to fathom what he would be getting himself into.

The door opened and Duo looked up, freezing as he was met with a familiar blue gaze. He waved, only to realize his hand was caught in the pocket of his coat and it just looked terribly awkward.

"Duo?" Heero let the door fall shut behind him and he approached him. He didn't look much different from the night they had met: pairing clunky boots with skinny jeans and a loose top. He carried a cross-body shoulder bag that appeared heavy judging by the way the strap dug into him.

"You remember my name."

"Of course I do."

"Sorry, I didn't mean-… That was a dumb joke."

"Do you remember mine?" Heero countered with a smirk.

His name rolled of his tongue deliciously. He could actually taste something sweet in his mouth.

He adjusted the shoulder strap. "You left pretty quickly last Friday."

"You caught me off guard."

"Sorry about that." He looked down and scraped the sole of his boot along the pavement. "Should I not have told you?"

"Nah. No. It's cool. I'm happy you did."

"You were kinda shell-shocked."

"Yeah, well… it's not something that has come up yet."

Heero nodded in understanding, but he checked his watch. "I- uhh, I need to get going. I have a class in, like, ten minutes, at the XYX Youth center."

"Oh, you work there? Is that why you were at the club, because of the charity thing?"

"Yeah, I teach a couple of evening classes at the center. And my friend, Quatre, he volunteers too and is involved in all the fundraising stuff. He made me come."

"To sow oats, I remember."

Heero checked his watch again.

"The center is only a couple of minutes away, right?"

"Yeah, straight through the park." Heero pointed across the busy road.

"Can I walk with you?"

"Sure."

They crossed the street and headed through the park. Duo wasted much of their time with an uncomfortable silence. A wiser man would have figured out what to say before showing up on someone's doorstep. But Duo had never been accused of being wise. "So, you checked with Quatre and his boyfriend if it was okay to drink and if it was okay to take me home because-…"

"Because I'm having their baby."

"Right." He chewed on the inside of his cheek. "And that's why we couldn't-…

"Since I've been doing hormone treatments for the past two months, I'm super fertile. So even with condoms, we couldn't risk it."

"Yeah. Yeah." He swallowed. "When-…?"

"The appointment is Thursday."

He nodded his head and kept his gaze focused on the gravelly path that they followed. The building of the youth center was already visible up ahead.

"Should I have told you before? Should I not have hit on you at all?"

"No. No! You wanted to sow oats and I was happy to help. You didn't owe me any explanation."

"Okay. I-… I get the feeling you're upset, though." He stopped walking.

Duo turned around and met his questioning gaze. "I am… a little."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to see you again. But that's weird now."

Heero didn't disagree. "I really need to go. If I'm late those kids are gonna throw my own speech on punctuality right back at me."

The tall man snickered. "How long?"

Misinterpreting the question, the other replied: "Probably, like, at least the entire class. Or as long as I live."

"No, I don't mean how long would they give you shit for being late." He smirked. "How long does your class last?"

"Oh. It's ninety minutes."

Duo fished his phone out of his pocket to check the time. In an hour and a half, it wouldn't be too late for dinner yet. "Wanna grab a bite to eat, after? Or… I guess you already ate…"

"Yeah, I had a pretty substantial granola bar, just now."

Duo released a laugh when he realized what Heero meant. "So, you'll be pretty hungry after class."

"Definitely. And I have to start eating for two anyway."

He pressed his mouth tightly shut, stifling another laugh that simply didn't feel right; too self-conscious and bitter.

"Sorry. Too soon?"

Duo shook it off and the two of them arranged to meet in that very spot in an hour and a half. The long-haired man watched the other head into the building. His house was too far away for him to go home in the meantime and he didn't know the neighborhood well. He meandered through the park and planted himself on a bench that looked clean enough.

Slouched on the seat he produced his phone again and searched for nearby restaurants, only finding a classic diner two blocks from the center. Other than that there were a couple of coffee shops and one supermarket, in the mostly residential area. It wasn't the nicest part of town. But it didn't feel like the right occasion to drive out to a proper restaurant. He wanted to keep it casual.

What else he wanted, he wasn't sure of yet. All he knew was that he had spent every minute since last Friday thinking about the other man and not a single distraction or very sound logic sufficed to keep him from longing for Heero.

The situation was laden and not in the least conducive to a budding relationship – or whatever it was, or whatever it could be. Duo had never been with an XYX person, much less one that would be pregnant in less than forty-eight hours. At least, as far as he was aware of.

Depending on who you asked, XYX individuals were either the next step in evolution, or an abomination. Because of the latter opinion of the two, XYX centers, where struggling youth could find each other, advice and solace, were not a luxury. The occurrence of the XYX chromosome combination, meant that the individual who presented outwardly as completely male, also had a functioning "female" reproductive system – but in politically correct terms it was called an "XY-compatible reproductive system". Most required hormone treatments to kick start the final developmental stage that made them "compatible" and fertile. As a result, the "condition" was undocumented for a long time, considering how rare it was to begin with and how few people discovered they were different. Nowadays, one of the services XYX centers provided were free tests, another being providing support for the .01 percent of people who tested positive and education of people who were negative.

There was a lot of additional stigma surrounding XYX because it was commonly assumed that any XYX individual would necessarily be gay, when that was not actually the case.

After ninety minutes, Duo had a headache going over all the same things that had been on his mind for the past few days. He hurried back to the center, where they had agreed to meet and he watched from across the street as a handful of teenagers poured out, shortly followed by Heero. Even from the distance, Duo noted the surprise on Heero's features, alerting him to the fact that the teacher hadn't actually expected him to stick around.

"Disappointed?" He asked, when the shorter man joined him.

"No, relieved actually. And that scares me a little."

They walked to that one diner that Duo had been able to locate, since Heero confirmed there were no better options nearby.

They took a seat across from each other in a booth and ordered milkshakes, burgers and fries.

"Quatre and Trowa will probably not let me have any of this stuff for a while to come."

"I'm pretty sure they have no right to dictate your diet."

"I don't know. It would be their baby. In my currently minimally-hormonal state," he said with a wink, "I'd get it. But ask me again in a couple of months." He scrunched up his face and amended: "I didn't mean-… I'm not saying you'll be around in a couple of months."

"What if I would be?" Duo blurted. He boldly made eye-contact and pushed away his basket of fries, not caring that they would go cold.

"Uhm… what do you mean?" He chuckled sheepishly. "You want to date?"

"Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe our Zodiac signs aren't compatible." He snorted sarcastically.

"I'm gonna sound crazy. I know that. My friends have told me. My mom has told me." He shook his head. It had been an eventful weekend. "There something between us, right?"

"Sure, maybe, but-"

He didn't let the other continue. "Why _wouldn't_ we give it some time to see what it is exactly? If we give it a shot and we're not a good fit, what's the big deal? We'd go our separate ways. But if it is right, we could make the next nine months work, and then continue on from there."

"Duo. I'm going to be pregnant. And hormonal. And fat." He let out a little laugh. "I'm not going to be at my most charming."

"I'm not convinced that means we shouldn't give it a chance."

"You do sound crazy," he chastised mildly. He was going to say something else. His mouth was open but no sound came out as Duo's hand reached across the table and covered his.

With a kind smile, the man said: "Aren't we both a little crazy? You're the guy who agreed to carry his friend's baby. You're the substitute teacher who stripped on stage at a gay club, in front of hundreds of people."

"A valid point."

"So, what do you say?"

Heero took a moment to think and in the end the only answer he felt comfortable giving was: "I should ask Quatre and Trowa first. I need to know how they'd feel about it."

Duo sat back. In spite of the uncertainty that remained, the possibility did become just a little bit more real and being faced with it was intimidating. But the memories of Friday night still thrilled him. He didn't want to let this feeling go and end up always wondering if he let something wonderful slip away because of something as transient and abstract as 'timing'.

They finished their meals, even though it was lukewarm at best. The humorous innuendo's at least kept the conversation heated. Before parting ways, they exchanged phone numbers and shook hands. Which was surreal and had them both laughing.

He hadn't been expecting an answer soon and he assured Heero as much over dinner. Yet, his phone screen lighting up in the middle of the night, interrupted him staring at his ceiling and he rolled over to snatch the device off the night stand.

**[They think we're insane.]** read the first message, quickly followed by more, before Duo had even unlocked the phone. The thing vibrated in his hand.

**[They're worried about me.]**

**[But they don't mind.]**

His heart thrummed in his chest and he hesitated. If he opened the app, Heero would see that the messages had been read. But this had been his idea, right? So why wasn't responding easy?

Everyone kept saying that he didn't know what he was getting into. While it was true that there was a lot unknown, he did consider how complicated and difficult it could be. That they both risked getting hurt needlessly, when they could still walk away unscathed.

But Duo had never been about avoiding risks, not when it came to relationships. He always followed his heart and it had led him to hurt, but it had also led him to happiness. Even a happiness that was fleeting, should not be dismissed.

The timing was bad, but everything else felt right.

He opened the messages and typed his reply: **So we're doing this?**

**[We're doing something.] **was the quick reply. The emoticon took a little longer.

**[Sorry, had to search for a face that said: let's not put any labels on this and take it one trimester at a time…] **

Duo chuckled. **Yeah, hate to say it. But that's not it.** He laughed harder when random faces started popping up and his thumbs moved quickly to reply as often as possible along the lines of 'nope' and 'not it' and 'try again'. He stopped typing when an image loaded and he opened the selfie of Heero, solemnly looking into the camera, with a slight, somewhat frightened smile on his lips.

**You found it.**

**It's a good look on you though. **

He opened the picture again and zoomed in, marveling at how incredibly blue his eyes were in the flash of the camera. When there was no playful response, he decided to be more serious himself:

**How about a proper dinner tomorrow?**

**[Going a little fast, aren't you?] **The wink that Heero added put Duo at ease.

**Wanna make sure you're actually as pretty as I think you are, before you get all glow-y and I can't be objective.**

**[Sweaty. You mean sweaty.]**

It dawned on him Heero was trying to deflect, so he prodded: **Dinner though? Tomorrow?**

There was a delay, but then finally: **[Yeah. Okay. We'll figure out the details tomorrow. Text me.]**

**[Goodnight, Duo.]**

**Goodnight.**

He switched off his phone and put it away, thinking to connect it to the charger. Whenever he dated someone, battery life always became an issue.

It took him until lunch the next day to text Heero back with an address to a little café, closer to his own house. It was his favorite place for a first date. It was more like a library, that happened to serve great food and drinks at a fair price. It was a central, open area, surrounded by three floors of book shelving, branching out in every direction. It wasn't only books, but random knickknacks too, things that patrons brought and placed there, to add to the collection. It was an establishment full of icebreakers and Duo had a sense they could use that from time to time.

Part of him wished the date would go horribly, because it would make everything so much easier. It would make so much more sense. But Heero was frustratingly enigmatic. A good story teller. A good listener. He dabbled with creative outlets, like writing unfinished screenplays, poetry and short stories. He had similar experiences to Duo, growing up without having a father figure around, but with a strong mother with enough personality for two. They were both only child. Moved around a lot in their teenage years. Didn't get good at making friends until their early twenties. Each loved music. Heero had taught himself to play the piano. Duo had taught himself to play the guitar. They had both lost a loved-one.

Heero's mother died last year, in a car accident. He cried briefly when he pushed the words out of his mouth.

Solo, Duo's previous long-term boyfriend, died of HIV-related complications. He cried too.

Duo and Heero were both negative.

They loved their friends and family more than anything and would do anything for them.

After all, Heero was about to be a surrogate for his two best friends. Neither of whom were XYX and the woman who was supposed to be their surrogate initially, backed out at the last minute, which had cost them a lot of money and heartache.

And Duo had donated part of his liver to his mom three years ago, when she had recovered from her alcoholism, only to be diagnosed with liver failure. He lifted the shirt to show his scar again, even though Heero had seen and felt it that Friday night.

"You're just showing off your abs."

That made Duo grin. It was true.

They shared their coming out stories and how it was the last straw for both their fathers and had made them walk out on the family. Heero was forced to come out when a medical exam uncovered his XYX status and everyone around him assumed he was 'a fag' because of it anyway. Duo had no choice but to come clean when his dad had walked in on him experimenting with kissing a boy at only eleven years old.

Their fathers gave them shit about it. Their mothers never let the assholes get away with any of it.

Conversation was so easy. Opening up felt so safe. In a way, the odd situation they were in, made them more trusting towards each other. They were both in a bit of a rush to find out if there was any sense in pursuing this and thus no secret felt too intimate, 'too soon'.

It was surreal.

The owner of "Food For The Soul" came to find them in the back of one of the narrow corridors, to tell them they were closing. It was past midnight.

The two men walked outside, quiet for the first time since meeting up right there on the curb, hours earlier.

"Since we're being so honest," Duo started, his breath white in the air of the night, "I have to admit that this wasn't what I was hoping for. I was hoping you would be a dull prick."

Heero cocked his head and grinned at him. "Same. At a certain point, I started saying every raw and personal thing that came to mind, kind of hoping I would blurt something that would scare you away."

"Didn't work."

"Apparently not." His smile softened.

"What do you say we try to ruin this again over dinner tomorrow?"

Heero chuckled and looked down at his feet. "I can't. I have my appointment tomorrow. Someone is really going to be 'sowing some oats'."

"Right. But still, boy's gotta eat, right?"

He shook his head. "I should really just crawl in bed tomorrow. The doctor said I'd be having cramps and stuff and probably get nauseous from the extra shot of hormones."

"Yeah. Okay." He hesitated a moment, before wondering sheepishly: "Should I come? To the appointment?"

"I don't really think it's a second-date kind of activity."

"True. Spending an hour with your legs up in stirrups is more of a fifth-date thing."

They both laughed. They dragged their feet on their way to their cars.

"This was a really good first date. I enjoyed myself," Heero said, when they reached his car first.

"I'm glad. And: me too." He stepped in a little closer and they exchanged a smile. He touched a finger to Heero's chin and followed the sharp line of his jaw to the shell of his ear. He leaned closer and closer, enjoying the build of pleasant tingles in his belly and the way he started feeling heady, with his eyelids becoming heavy. He kissed him softly and _politely_, as if it was the first time. The merging of their lips was chaste, but Duo could tell this was something that would last – 'this' being that feeling of warmth and joy that made him want to crawl into Heero's coat and wrap his arms around his waist and wrap his head around the idea that this could be eternal.

It was a nice kind of fear; exciting and titillating. It wasn't the first time he had felt this way and that's exactly why he trusted it. Because he hadn't been wrong the last time. He just didn't want this to evolve into heartbreak again. He was already invested.

He watched Heero drive away and then went home himself.

The next day, he got out of work early, and stopped by the grocery market for ginger tea, crackers, pretzels, three different flavors of ice cream and a bottle of wine.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Heero all day. He knew the appointment had been at three and that the Japanese man had the rest of the day off and tomorrow as well. Duo resisted the urge to text and to call, not wanting to intrude when Heero had playfully let it be known the evening before that Duo wasn't a part of this process – not yet at least. He wanted to respectful. He didn't want to meddle, but he also didn't want to seem unsupportive.

A little while later, he stood in front of the red brick building and he texted the other man.

**Knock. Knock.**

He stared down at his phone screen intently, noting the message had been read, but no reply was being typed. Then, he looked up when he heard his name on the wind. Four floors up, Heero half hung out of the window, looking down at him with both a frown and a smile. He disappeared and shut the window and a few seconds later the door buzzed and Duo rushed to push it open.

He jogged up the stairs. He wouldn't have been able to find the right door if it hadn't already been open, with Heero leaning against the frame. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a college hoodie, he looked tired, but happy to welcome his guest.

Duo proudly showed off his loot.

"I can't have that anymore, if this thing took." He nodded at the wine.

"Tsk. The wine is for me. The ice cream is for you. If you're feeling up to it. If your nauseous, I got you some other stuff that should help. Always helped my mom feel better." He was let into the apartment and he shook off his coat and draped it over the back of a dining room chair like he was coming home. "How are you doing?" His tone was meant to be casually inquisitive, but he scrunched up his face at how concerned and mothering he sounded.

"I'm okay."

"You look tired."

"Rude."

He let out a breathy chuckle. "I mean, you look beautiful, of course."

"Of course."

"But also a bit tired. Was the procedure…?" He didn't know how to finish that question.

"No, it was fine. I didn't have to do anything but lay there." He talked as he put the ice cream away in the freezer, pausing to comment on the excellent selection before admitting: "Didn't sleep much last night."

"Oh?" Neither had Duo. "Why?"

He made a vague gesture. "A lot of… _thinking_. I actually considered-" He stopped himself and looked guilty.

"What?" His smirk was crooked and unsure.

"I considered not going through with it. Which is so, so horrible to say! After what Quatre and Trowa went through with that woman before…" he ran a hand through his hair.

"Why did you have doubts all of a sudden?" Heero had sounded nothing but sure of himself when they had talked the evening before.

"Because of you." He bit his lip. "You're a great guy… and I was… being selfish."

"You're not being selfish."

"I almost was. I almost chose a guy I've known for less than a week, over a lifetime of happiness for my two closest friends."

"You don't have to choose. You can have both." In two confident strides he closed the distance between them and he put his hands on Heero's hips. He wanted to lean in for a kiss, but instead kept their faces close and stared at him until Heero would meet his gaze and he coaxed a smile out of him with an impish quirk of his eyebrow.

"Duo… I don't expect a new relationship to make it through hormone shots, sobriety, morning sickness, disgusting cravings, mood swings, and all-round misery. It's not going to be sexy."

"We were going to take this one trimester at a time, right? And I think it's still pretty sexy…" He scooted in closer, bringing their hips together.

Heero glanced down at himself. "You think this is sexy?"

"Depends. Is that stain mustard or puke?"

"It's mustard, you dick."

"Then yeah… still sexy…" He teasingly touched his lips to Heero's and liked how the younger man sighed into the kiss. But then he felt those soft, pretty lips form into a grin and he stilled.

"Also can't do anal for six weeks, to confirm that the embryo took and you can't knock me up instead."

Duo groaned but then deepened their kiss regardless.

They sparred heatedly and Duo's hands explored the tight figure under the baggy clothes. It ended with a chuckle from both and they parted in spite of the fact that they were both hard. Duo stared at the other mirthfully and simply nodded when he was offered a bowl of ice cream – a little of each flavor.

They curled up on the couch, putting on a series on Netflix. When Heero didn't respond to Duo's joke about him letting his ice cream melt, midway through the first episode, he realized the man had fallen asleep against him.

Duo knew he was in deep. Faster than he had ever been. It was terrifying, but there was no running away from it.

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**So, yeah, in this alternate universe people write text messages with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation (within the limits of my own language proficiency).**

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**Only a little less than 35 thousand words to go until I hit 2 million! So:**

**Vote Vote Vote!**

**Unless you're gonna vote for Dirty Job… In all honesty, everyone who votes for Dirty Job makes me die a little on the inside. Imma tell you right now, if you make me write a sequel for this story, I'm gonna kill some folks (and with folks I mean characters). Since it keeps edging out all other nominees, I've been thinking about what I'd do with the sequel and some major characters deaths are the only way to give any kind of closure that validates having a sequel to begin with. Otherwise it'll just be an aimless, open-ended tag-on. #fairwarning**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about snapping with regards to Dirty Jobs. I just really think a continuation of that story is the wrong way to go :S**

**But it's a close race, so I'm curious to see which one wins!**

**For those who can't find the poll: it is at the very, very top of the profile page. Above PM/Follow/Favorite**

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**As for this story: remember, I'm just having some fun. All I can hope is that you'll have a bit of fun reading it.**

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**Carry Me Home**

Duo didn't like waiting rooms, not even ones as nice as the one of the fertility clinic. He had spent a lot of time in waiting rooms, at the hospital and at the free clinic. None of the memories were good. His discomfort was showing in the way he kept jittering his leg and shifting in the chair. He caught Heero looking at him and he offered him a smile. "Sorry. I shouldn't be the one who's nervous."

"Don't worry about it. I get it." The shorter man momentarily leaned his head on Duo's shoulder and pulled away only after planting a kiss on the side of his neck.

The entrance doors burst open, drawing everyone's attention to the flustered blonde and his stoic companion stepping indoors. Some relief calmed the storm in aquamarine eyes when the searching gaze landed on Heero and his boyfriend.

The man shook the rain out of his hair and rushed up to them. Trowa followed in a more composed state. "I'm so sorry we're late."

Heero chuckled. "But you're not late."

The blonde checked his watch. "Technically we're late. And we shouldn't be. There was traffic – some accident on the parkway. We were stuck for like half an hour trying to get into the city. But, that's no excuse, we should have considered something like this. We should have left home sooner." A hand on his shoulder finally stopped his rambling.

Trowa offered Duo and Heero an apologetic smile, before guiding his husband to take a seat next to the Japanese man.

"I was so worried we would miss the appointment," Quatre whispered, now self-conscious as he became aware of everyone in the waiting room staring at him with some measure of irritation.

"These things never start on time. Stop stressing, you made it."

"I'm so nervous." Quatre wrung his hands together and pinched them between his knees.

"Yeah, me too."

Duo put a hand on the back of Heero's neck and gave him a little squeeze, wanting to comfort him after doing such a piss poor job the past twenty minutes, too focused on himself.

"Hi, Duo. It's nice to see you again."

Duo hadn't met with the happily married couple since first running into them that one Friday night that started this crazy journey. That was six weeks ago.

He had the feeling the two weren't exactly excited about him being involved in this part of their lives, which was understandably a very intimate and precious time. But at least they accepted that they couldn't stop their surrogate from being with him. They were respectful. They were nice guys, Duo didn't doubt that. The interaction between them was just strained. Going forward with their relationship at this odd time, Duo and Heero both knew that it would affect their relationships with the people around them.

"Mister Yuy?" A nurse called.

All four men shot up from their seats, then laughed sheepishly at themselves.

They followed the nurse into an examination room, piling into the small space where the doctor that Heero and the two husbands were familiar with joined them.

"Heero, welcome back," said the pretty physician. "How have you been?" She patted the examination table, urging him to climb on.

"Good." He made himself comfortable, lying prone on his back and folding his hands over his abdomen.

Doctor Po stood to his right and the couple to his left. Duo awkwardly stood by in the corner, feeling like the kind of intruder that he had promised he wouldn't be. "Maybe I should-… wait outside?" He threw a thumb over his shoulder.

"No, Duo, of course not," Heero was quick say and Duo wasn't sure if Heero was aware or not, but his blonde friend tensed up. "I want you here."

He nodded stiffly.

"Have you been experiencing any pain, nausea, feverish symptoms?" Po inquired as she sheathed her slender hands in latex gloves.

"No, not after the first two days after the embryo transfer."

"That's very good. Any bleeding?"

"No."

"Alright, sounds promising."

Quatre reached out and blindly reached for Trowa's hand, clasping it tightly.

"Have you noticed any changes in your physique?"

"My favorite skinny jeans don't fit right anymore," Heero said offhandedly. "But that's maybe because I started eating for two, like, three months ago."

The doctor chuckled lightly. She asked him to lift up his shirt and routinely massaged his abdomen, checking for sensitivity. Then she explained she would be performing an internal ultrasound to confirm whether the embryo had taken and she had him take off his jeans and underwear, holding up a sheet to give him privacy and she helped him prop his feet up in the stirrups.

"My favorite position," Heero winked at Duo.

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I?" The long-haired man joked in return. They hadn't been able to have sex yet and self-control had been a challenge on more than once occasion.

He wiped his hands on the denim over his thighs and watched Doctor Po arrange the equipment and seat herself on a stool between Heero's legs. He puffed out his cheeks as he released a tense sigh, but then couldn't help but smile when he made eye-contact with his boyfriend.

From where Duo was standing, he couldn't see the computer screen that everyone else was staring at intently. The doctor threw some medical terms around that didn't mean anything to Duo, but was apparently positive. She continued to move the ultrasound probe in search of a heartbeat. Duo noticed that his boyfriend was panting and unable to look at anyone. He knew Heero felt a lot of pressure. He didn't want his friends to suffer again, after the previous surrogate had decided at the last minute not to go through with it. The procedure was expensive too and while Quatre was originally from a wealthy family, they were estranged and the two husbands didn't have much savings left.

"Oh, this is it. Let me turn it up for you." Po twisted a dial on the computer.

A hollow sound filled the room. It didn't really sound like a heartbeat, just a muffled noise with a quick rhythm to it.

"That's the heartbeat," she said.

And Duo's heartbeat silenced.

Quatre and Trowa were overjoyed. They hugged and kissed each other first and then Quatre hugged and kissed Heero.

"Careful, Quat! I have a fucking probe up my ass!" He laughed, elated. "Excuse my language, Doctor."

"Don't worry about it, I consider it a medical term."

Duo smiled, watching happiness spread throughout the room. His gaze met Heero's and in response to his beckoning hand he stepped closer. Once he was at the side of the bed, Heero reached a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss. It was nothing more than a peck on the lips, but it was the most intimate kiss they had shared.

Doctor Po pointed at a shape on the screen, trying to get everyone to wrap their brains around the fact that the little bean would grow into a person. She would get them all screenshots and she assured Quatre every time he asked that, as far as she could tell at this early stage, it was healthy. It was exactly as developed as it should be, it was in the right location and the heartbeat was strong.

Heero couldn't tear his gaze away from the ecstatic couple, drinking in the sight of their jubilance. "You're going to be parents," he whispered reverently, adding to their joy.

Duo gripped his boyfriend's hand and squeezed it tightly.

The examination continued with a draw of blood to run some standard labs and Po relayed as much information as she could, further preparing them for the upcoming process, but she ended up giving up with a laugh and saying she would try again at their next appointment. Nobody was really absorbing any of the information at the moment.

As promised, they left the clinic with print outs of the ultrasound. The little shape didn't look like anything to Duo, but Quatre and Trowa could not stop staring at it.

The four of them went to lunch to celebrate. Before their meals were served, Duo noticed Heero was becoming quiet and distant. The smile melted from his face and his expression became blank.

"Excuse me, I need to-…" He made a vague gesture in the direction of the restrooms and then scooted out of the booth and left Duo alone with the two husbands.

By then all three of them were aware that something was off and Quatre and Duo got up at the same time.

Trowa stopped his husband with a touch to his arm and he nodded at Duo, encouraging him to be the one to go after him.

Duo appreciated that. He followed Heero to the unisex restrooms; a small, tiled space with only two stalls. Heero stood at the sink, clenching his fingers around the edges, he breathed slowly and deliberately through his nose, fighting hyperventilation. His head was bowed, letting his bangs fall into his face and not looking at his reflection in the smudged mirror.

"Hey…" His tone was soothing and he approached him slowly. He placed his hand on the man's lower back and rubbed in circles.

The pitch of his breaths changed. He sucked in air more rapidly and his bottom lip quivered.

"Okay… okay… Just breathe… Shhh…" He moved the hand on Heero's back up to his hair, carting his fingers through it in a way his own mother used to do with him. With his other hand he covered one of Heero's. He was gripping the sink so tightly that his fingers were trembling.

"It's real now," the Japanese man managed to ground out and a single sob escaped him. "It's real. I'm pregnant. This is my best friends' baby. I'm responsible for that life now."

Duo let him talk, hoping his touches would be a comfort when he knew he would never find the right words.

"I'm scared shitless."

He leaned his chin onto Heero's shoulder, carefully bringing their bodies closer and closer together, gauging if it was what Heero wanted and needed. It seemed to cure his trembling.

"Am I going to feel like this for the next eight months?"

"I don't know," he said, feeling stupid and useless.

Heero sucked in a deep breath. "They're so happy now. What if-…?"

"You shouldn't think like that. You're healthy. It's healthy. And you'll have three people taking the best care of you. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't have to feel like this again, okay?"

Heero nodded. He released his hold on the sink and twisted around to press himself against Duo and wrap his arms around him.

He hugged him back tightly until he calmed and felt ready to go back out to their table. Being faced with his concerned friends, Heero brushed it off as hormones and Duo backed him up.

Duo was able to postpone his own panic attack until he got home later that afternoon. Heero had invited him to come home with him, but he had urged his boyfriend to just go to bed and rest instead. The other didn't object, although Duo could tell by looking into those blue eyes that Heero was not oblivious to Duo's private distress.

It wasn't a surprise to him anymore that he was in love with Heero. Everything about their relationship moved quickly. He felt like months' worth of dating, talking, kissing and longing had been crammed into the past six weeks. Yet, still, he couldn't get enough of the other man. It was never enough. It had been the second week when he realized he was in love with the man. It had been a few days later that it dawned on him thathe had been wrong; he had been in love since that very first night. It was love at first sight.

But Heero was doing something bigger and more important than dating Duo. He was a part of something greater. He was creating a family and, as such, was an extension of that family.

It was such a powerful thing and Duo had – inadvertently – become a part of it as well. It was overwhelming. All of it. Not in the least his guilt about insinuating himself in this precious budding family when it was clear Quatre was weary about inviting in a stranger and likely bitter about knowing that he had no choice but to accept his presence.

He was terrified that he would screw things up.

Reaching out in desperation, he headed out and went to the diner around the corner from the gay clubs and bars. Trusting he would find his mother there, since she regularly worked double shifts.

She was a bright and colorful appearance in her rainbow apron and platinum blond wig. Her eyeshadow was blue and too intense and her lipstick surely left a mark on his cheek when she grabbed him and planted a kiss on him.

"My sons returns to me!" She said to the patrons; mostly twenty-somethings carbo-loading in preparation of a long night of drinking and dancing. She ushered Duo to come sit down at the bar and she walked around to pour him coffee. Her many bracelets jingled. "I haven't seen you in ages." Her tone was light but he knew he was being scolded.

"Yeah, sorry. Busy."

"Too busy for your own mother, hm…" She brought him a slice of pie as well. She put her elbows down on the counter and propped her chin up in her palms. "How's Heero?"

"Good." He took a sip. She didn't know about the doctor's appointment they had gone to today. But she knew what Heero was involved in and she didn't approve of Duo, in turn, getting involved himself. She was the wrong person to turn to, because he knew she wouldn't say the things he wanted to hear, but she was _always_ the person he came to, so it was automatic.

"Hmhm. Am I ever going to meet this boy who's been keeping my son so very, very busy?"

He had been more than happy for him and Heero to remain as secluded from the rest of the world as possible, these past six weeks; taking the time to enjoy and explore each other. But reality caught up with them today and they couldn't hide out forever. It wasn't like he didn't want to introduce his boyfriend to his mother. He was just worried about how everyone was going to react, especially now that it would only become progressively more obvious how strange their whirlwind relationship was, as Heero would start to show.

"Of course," he said.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"He's pregnant," he blurted into his coffee and he took a quick sip because his tongue went parch dry saying the words. "It was confirmed today."

"And you were hoping it didn't take," she concluded.

He bit his bottom lip and bowed his head. He put the cup down before his hands started to tremble so badly that he would spill the black liquid. "I'm awful."

His mother reached across the bar and cupped his face in her hands. Her palms were course and her long acrylic nails scratched him, but the touch soothed him nonetheless. She pulled him towards him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before combing fingers through his hair. "You are not awful."

"It's not even… It's not like I really hoped for it to have failed," he tried to explain himself, sniffling as he was on the brink of sobbing. "But it did cross my mind today that it'd be better if Heero and I just had a little bit more time. A bit more time to ourselves." He pulled back, away from her touch and scrubbed his face with his palms, not lowering his hands again until he was certain he wouldn't cry and could muster up a wry smile instead. "I know what you're going to say. That I should have walked away, that I should have let it be a one-night stand and nothing more."

She pressed her lips together.

"I love him, Mom," he confessed pathetically.

"I know you do, sweetie." She pushed the slice of pie closer to him, but he wasn't in the mood to eat.

"It's so fucking complicated. I feel like one of the dads doesn't really want me there. And, honestly, I feel like I shouldn't be there. I want to be with Heero and I want to take care of him, but at the same I'm so worried about fucking everything up and breaking his heart when he's at the most vulnerable time of his life… It's only been six weeks. I've known him for only _six weeks_." He shook his head at himself. He'd been in enough failed relationships to know there were so many things that could go wrong, in spite in the best intentions and, considering the circumstances, things were more likely to get emotional and heated than normal.

"I've raised a good son, Duo," she said solemnly and she offered him a smile. "Whatever happens, you shouldn't feel guilty and you shouldn't blame yourself."

Her words surprised him. He knew she wasn't supportive of this relationship – she had warned him about the exact fears that currently gripped at his heart – but he appreciated her support of him. "Thanks, Mom."

"Now eat your pie."

He chuckled and wiped a hand by the corner of his eye where he felt a tear starting to form. He accepted the fork that was handed to him and he took a few bites to placate her, before encouraging her to dig in with him. It was a relief to know that, in spite of everything, he could still count on his mom. If Quatre and Trowa were even half the parent she was, this kid would be damn lucky.


	4. Chapter 4

**Short but steamy!**

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**Please continue to vote! It's still a very close race between several stories and I'm very excited about the alternatives that are starting to gain ground on Dirty Job! They're not quite there though; Dirty Job is still in the lead. Don't make me write a deathfic!**

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**Carry me Home**

"I'm sorry about leaving after lunch, yesterday," Duo said in a single breath as he was let into the apartment.

The door fell shut behind him and he fell into Heero's arms. Hands ghosted over his back, barely felt through his leather jacket until fingers strongly started pressing into his muscles.

"It's okay," Heero said.

"It was a really intense day. I wasn't really prepared."

"It's okay."

"I shouldn't have left you alone, but I needed some time."

"It's okay." Lips found his and silenced him.

He moaned into his boyfriend's mouth and leaned more of his weight on him than he should have, but he felt weak in the knees. He placed his hands on Heero's hips, then trailed them around his waist and up to his shoulders. He felt the heat of his skin and the bump of the shoulder blades under the worn cotton of his shirt.

"Down. Down," Heero muttered between kisses.

Duo's hands followed the command, slipping down the spine and over the swell of his ass to grab at him.

Heero's hips pushed forward, pressing against Duo's.

"I swear I came over to apologize, not to get laid," Duo interrupted the kiss long enough to say.

"I know but I don't need your apology."

"Hmm. What do you need?"

"You. I need you," he whined and he clawed at the tall man's chest.

Every nerve throbbed at that and he lifted Heero up, directing him to wrap his legs around his waist. He blindly found his way to the bedroom. He had been there often enough, they only hadn't done the one thing that they both wanted to do most. Now, finally, they could. He lay him down gently and wasted no time crawling on top of him, covering his body with his own, meaning to fully sink into him. Disappear into him. He wanted to be a part of him.

It was late. Street light and moonlight filtered through the curtains. The bedroom was filled with softly lit shapes, the lovers being two of them. Duo could see little more than the glint on the wireframe glasses, a dust of blue light on Heero's cheekbone and the tip of his nose, and his glistening, wet lips.

He carefully lifted the glasses from his nose and stretched out to put them away on the nightstand. Before retreating his hand, he flicked on the light, to bathe everything in a warm, welcoming glow that matched the energy between them.

"Wanted to see you," he explained, lying down on top of him again, between Heero's spread legs.

Blue eyes sparkled and those kissable lips smiled, making them all the more irresistible.

He rocked his pelvis against his lover, slowly and gently, while recapturing his mouth with no intention of ever releasing it again. They both breathed through their nose, unwilling to part. Heero helped him out of his leather jacket and then started on the buttons of his short. Too many buttons, making them both impatient.

Finally, Duo sat upright and took the shirt off over his head. He undid his belt buckle and opened the fly of his jeans to relieve his erection from the painful pressure. He lowered himself back down to resume their kiss. Heero's fingers dug into his hair and the younger man arched his back, inviting Duo to slip his hands under his body and under his shirt. The muscles of his back rippled and tensed. He pushed the shirt up to his collarbone and explored the dip between every rib and the shape of his abs that appeared with every sharp intake of breath, even though his stomach had become a little softer than it was when they first met. His fingertips tickled over the sensitive skin of the belly, enjoying the way Heero's moans blended into chuckles and back. Then he drew his hand up the torso, to tease the first nipple.

"Fu-"

Duo didn't let him speak. His tongue delved into the hot mouth to stake a claim. There was no resistance to his dominance.

They made out for as long as they could stand it, to prolong the experience. Duo was careful not to rut against his partner, since Heero's sweatpants didn't provide much protection from the rough materials of his undone jeans and belt. When the urge became too overwhelming to resist, he knew he could wait no longer. He ended the kiss and let out a laugh when Heero reared his head up, his lips searching for his.

Heero's eyes fluttered open and a blush spread across his cheeks. It had been a good decision to turn the light on, he wouldn't have wanted to miss the sight of him.

"Are you sure you want this?"

The man underneath him nodded eagerly.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"It better be more than just okay," he fired back with a grin.

After a single peck on his mouth, Duo detached himself from him. He got up from the bed to strip out of his clothes. It was an unceremonious process, but Heero enjoyed watching anyway and Duo couldn't fight his little smirk. "Top drawer?" He asked, not needing to be more specific.

"Uhuh." Then Heero thought to raise his hips off the mattress and push his sweats down his legs and proceeded to kick them off. No underwear. His erection rested against his lower belly, which still looked flat. He took his arousal into his hand, giving it a few thoughtless pumps. He hissed and bit down on his bottom lip before shooting a dark look Duo's way.

The man shook his head and pulled the drawer open, finding the lube and condoms that they needed. Obviously, there was no risk of Heero getting doubly pregnant, but they couldn't risk STD's. Heero had been fully screened as part of the fertilization process and was clean, but Duo's last test had been a couple of months ago and he needed to get tested first before they could give into the temptation to make love bare.

"Any preferences?" He asked as he climbed back onto the bed and kneeled over him.

"Yeah, on my back. I told you yesterday."

Duo snickered. "That's right. You did."

"Kind of boring, huh? Missionary."

"Hmmm. Not in the slightest. Gonna love looking at your face." He settled on his knees between Heero's legs and grumbled as he struggled to open the foil packet.

Heero pushed himself up, making Duo's task even more difficult by wrapping his long fingers around his erection and stroking up and down the length.

He managed to get it open and pushed Heero back down with a laugh to get his hands out of the way. While he rolled the condom onto himself, Heero – the impatient little thing – flicked the bottle of lube open and quickly prepared himself, dipping a finger into him to spread the clear gel. He responded to Duo's amused look by explaining his haste: "We've waited long enough." He wiped his fingers on his stomach and sat up again, only long enough to snake an arm around Duo's neck and pull him down on top of him.

Duo groaned into the needy kiss, then sat back on his calves and pulled Heero's ass into his lap, manhandling the smaller man into position without receiving protest. He hooked his arms under Heero's knees and pushed his legs back, then thought to drape one leg over his shoulder to free one hand to guide his cock.

"Ohhh, you're so fucking massive."

Duo looked down at himself with a frown. "Well… it's not that big."

Heero smacked his chest with a chuckle. It stung and left a red mark. "I mean _you_ are massive. You." He soothed his hands over the discoloration that was already fading and then spread to either shoulder. He gasped when the head of Duo's arousal pressed into him. The next breath was released as a moan.

He entered him slowly, not wanting to be rough. He wasn't usually a gentle lover, but he couldn't forget that this was unlike any other time. Heero was pregnant.

"Ahhh… Ahh… Maybe… _it's_ kind of massive too…"

He paused. "Am I hurting you?"

"No. Nonono. Don't stop."

He went even slower, but slid into him all the way. The channel clenched around him and the two men moaned in unison. Heero's cock had been laying heavily against his stomach, but it twitched upright with a surge of arousal and Duo grabbed it. He held it in a loose grip, not moving his hand, just holding him. He bent forward and reconnected their mouths.

He waited, for as long as his self-control would last, before rolling his hips, eliciting small, wonderful sounds from his partner. He remained gentle, resisting the urge to pound into him. He moved his mouth along Heero's jaw. He tickled the shell of his ear with the tip of his tongue, then traveled his mouth south along his neck, letting his teeth scrape the sensitive skin. Heero's erection pulsed in his hand.

With his mouth unoccupied by Duo's, Heero was free to moan and curse. It wasn't long before he started to plea: faster, harder.

Duo grunted and sunk his teeth into the crook of Heero's shoulder, but he kept his pace controlled. Heero dug his fingers into Duo's thick hair, pulling at the tresses, continuing to beg.

"Please. I'm not gonna break. Fuck me. Fuck me hard."

Duo shouted an expletive. His resolve broke. He sat upright and held Heero's hips off the bed with a strong grip, fingers digging into his sides hard enough to leave bruises. He thrusted in and out of the pliant body, punching a cry out of the other every single time. He let out a sound that was not unlike a roar. Heero's neglected dick bounced back and forth with the power of their movements.

That slower pace he could have kept up for quite a while. But now the end soon drew near. The fact that they had been abstaining from anal sex and been driving each other mad with lust and yearning with blowjobs and handy's for the past six weeks didn't aid his stamina.

He folded Heero's legs back to his chest so he could bring their mouths together again. The kiss was unfocused, but Duo needed all the closeness and intimacy he could get. He worked one hand between their sweating bodies and jerked Heero off with urgency.

The man broke free from the kiss and pulled Duo's face down into the crook of his neck and he cried out in Duo's ear. His come became part of the slick mess of sweat and lube between them.

Duo buried his face further into the pillow, muffling his voice as he cried out Heero's name during his climax. His hips didn't relent yet, neither did his hand on Heero's cock. He worked them both through their orgasm.

He stilled and his weight collapsed on top of Heero. After a split second, he raised himself up, irrationally afraid of harming the vulnerable life that grew in the body under his. "Fuck. Are you okay?" He pushed Heero's sweaty bangs out of his face to appreciate the full beautify of his hooded eyes.

Heero's lips formed a sloppy grin. "I think I'm going to get a very frustrated note from my neighbors under the door in the morning."

He chuckled. "I tried to be quiet."

"I didn't."

When he moved away, the cold air that rushed between them had him shivering. He took off the condom and trotted over to the bathroom to discard it and get a damp towel to clean them up. He paused to check his self-satisfied grin in the mirror over the sink, but then it vanished when he felt guilty again and worried. Once back in the bedroom, he wiped Heero clean.

"Hmmm. Such a gentleman."

"I shouldn't have been so rough." He refused to meet Heero's gaze.

Heero raised himself up on his elbows. "What are you talking about? You weren't rough."

"No, not really, I guess. But still _too_ rough."

Heero took the towel from him and tossed it to the floor, then he lay Duo down on his back and draped himself over him. "You don't have to worry. You aren't going to break me with your dick." He joked to make light of it, although he recognized Duo was being serious.

"I need to be careful."

"Duo, is this about what I said yesterday? That I was scared of losing the baby?"

He sighed. "Maybe. A little."

Heero smiled at him and kissed him first before saying: "I didn't say that because I'm worried sex is going to cause any harm. I know you can't harm me, or… _us_… I was talking about miscarrying, or falling down a flight of stairs, or getting hit by a bus."

"I don't like this kind of pillow talk," he tried with a wry smile.

"Listen to me, Duo: you aren't going to hurt me. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"I don't want this pregnancy to change things between us."

"That's not possible."

"I guess you're right. But I don't want you to think of me as a surrogate. I have Quatre and Trowa for that. I want you to just think of me as your boyfriend. I am, right?"

Duo smiled and replied easily: "Of course you are." He greedily accepted the open-mouthed kiss that was offered. "I love you."

Heero pulled back and stared at him with dark eyes.

"Shit." He took a deep breath. "Was that too soon? It's too soon."

"I love you too."

He snapped his mouth shut and Heero pressed another kiss against his tight lips.

They fell asleep together.

But Duo woke up alone. In a bed that wasn't his. His entire body tensed up in reaction to the loneliness. His fingers throbbed with the surge of blood pressure. The empty space next to him was still warm, his touch confirmed.

A gagging sound, coming from the bathroom, changed his concern to that of a different nature. He got out of bed and stepped into his jeans, compelled by modesty.

The door to the bathroom was ajar, but he knocked before pushing it open. He felt nauseous himself, seeing Heero hunched over the toilet seat, clutching the edge with one hand and keeping his bangs out of his face with the other. Duo wasn't easily affected by seeing others throw up. He was no longer squeamish, after caring for his deathly ill lover and later his mother. He felt sick with worry instead, even though, logically, he knew it was a normal symptom of the pregnancy.

His voice was whisper-soft as he greeted his lover, showing his sympathy by kneeling at his side and rubbing his back. He said soothing and calming things, but to no effect. Heero continued to heave, but his stomach was empty and aside from a dribble of bile, he couldn't throw up any more.

The smaller man remained perched over the toilet bowl. His arms trembling. His face was pale but his chest and neck were flushed from the effort. Finally, with a sigh, he leaned back on his calves. "I'm sorry I woke you." His voice was gravelly.

"Don't even worry about it." Duo brushed Heero's bangs out of his face, wanting to see his features. He noticed how tired and miserable he looked. "How long have you been up?"

"Don't know. Feels like hours."

Duo flushed the toilet and closed the lid and helped his boyfriend up from the floor to sit down on the seat. He retrieved him a washcloth and let him wipe his own face. "I'm going to run you a bath. And I'll see if I can fix you a breakfast that you'll be able to stomach." He placed a kiss on the top of his head, then stepped around him to the tub.

"This is not how I imagined it…"

Duo snorted, not looking back as he tested the temperature of the water pouring out of the faucet. "You didn't expect morning sickness?"

"No… I mean… This isn't how I imagined us first waking up together. I'd wanted it to be romantic."

He turned around and seated himself on the edge of the tub.

"Vomit is not romantic." He laughed dryly at himself.

"You need to stop worrying about these things. I don't need storybook romance."

Heero's eyebrows pinched together. "Maybe I do…"

"I'll add the rose petals next time," he joked. "For now, just the warm water will have to do."

Heero took his bath, while Duo got dressed and scrounged the kitchen for food. He diced some fruits, toasted a few slices of bread and scrambled a few eggs.

He understood what Heero meant; wanting things to be a certain way in a relationship as fresh as theirs. But Duo couldn't deny that he was content with the way things were between them. It wasn't very romantic, most of the time, but it was real. Neither of them were putting up a charade, which was so common to do during dating. They were themselves, allowing the other to see them as themselves. It was comforting and safe to share this closeness. Yet still he felt that titillating curiosity from getting to know someone – of never spending enough time together.

After forty minutes, Heero emerged from the bathroom, smelling fresh and dressed in sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt. They sat at the table together, sipping coffee and nibbling at their breakfast. Memories of the morning made way for memories of the night before. Whenever their eyes met, they grinned at each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shortest chapter yet. Sorry! **

**I hate rereading this story, because it's truly _fanfiction-quality_ (in a negative way), but I guiltily enjoy writing some trash XD.**

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**Carry Me Home**

His mother worked so many shifts at the diner, that she didn't have much time off. That made it difficult to set a dinner date. Duo had to take her word for it that she wasn't purposefully avoiding meeting Heero.

So when she cancelled their plans for Thursday evening, because one of the other waitresses had called in sick, Duo decided that he couldn't wait any longer. It was the fourth time she had cancelled on them, but never more last minute than this time. He wanted the two most important people in his life to meet. He probably also wanted to prove to Heero that his mother wasn't avoiding him.

He would take Heero to the diner where she worked and the two could meet while she'd serve them the daily special and milkshakes. And maybe join them for desserts, since he expected it to be a slow evening at the establishment. It would be too early for club-goers to carbo-load before a long night of dancing and drinking.

When he had come to pick up his boyfriend, the younger man wasn't ready yet, even though Duo hadn't been early. Still, he didn't mind waiting a little while, while Heero finished up in the bathroom. He sat at the dining room table, still wearing his leather jacket, having not expected it to take as long as it did. He tapped his fingers on the table and looked to the ajar door. He listened to Heero brush his teeth and making dissatisfied noises. He was about to ask what was wrong, when the pregnant man exclaimed:

"I can't meet your mother like this!" The door was pulled open and Heero stood in the doorway, with his arms limp at his sides and the toothbrush hanging from his mouth not dissimilarly. "It looks like I have a beer gut and my face is all puffy," he said, with white froth in the corners of his mouth and his pronunciation off due to the toothbrush being in the way of his tongue and pulling on his lower lip.

It was a challenge not to laugh at his boyfriend, but Duo knew he had to bite back the sound. Heero's distraught expression was genuine and it would take little to get him angry or upset. Duo was slowly figuring out the pitfalls of Heero's hormonal imbalance. More often than not, though, it was privately amusing to him. This was no exception. Outwardly, he was sympathetic, but before he could even offer any reassuring words, Heero stepped back to the sink and continued brushing his teeth. Scrubbing angrily, he regarded his reflection with disdain.

Duo got up from his seat and joined the other in the small space of the bathroom, coming to stand behind him. Their gazes met in the mirror and Duo tried a smile. It relieved him to see Heero smiling back shyly. It was apparent that the man was embarrassed, now, at his outburst. Heero wasn't oblivious to what the hormones were doing to him. But he needn't be embarrassed.

"You look great," Duo said, meaning it. "You always look great. But, irrational or not, you are allowed to be upset by the changes your body goes through."

Heero tilted his head and let out a sigh that released the last of his frustration. "Thanks."

"Now finish up." He playfully slapped his ass and stepped out. "I'm starving."

He wasn't really. He just wanted to get this introduction over with. So his mom could stop being weird and Heero could stop being insecure about the ordeal.

"Can I drive?" Heero asked as they approached the car.

"No." He grinned and held the passenger side door open for his lover instead. His car was his baby. He furrowed his brows at the innocent enough thought. His 'baby'. That was wrong to think now.

Heero slid into the seat, sulking, putting up a good show.

Arriving at the diner, he held the door open for the other once more. The bell rang overhead. The two walked in hand-in-hand.

Duo knew his mother very well and he had never known her not to appreciate surprises. Yet, when she turned their way and noticed them, she looked ambushed. She couldn't hide it quick enough with a smile for Duo not to notice.

This had been a mistake. But he didn't know why. She had said she wanted to meet Heero.

Maybe Heero hadn't caught the split second of horror on her face. He was nothing but disarmingly kind when he was the first to close the distance between them and reach a hand out to her.

Her gaze darted down to the rounded belly, poking out between the open sides of Heero's denim jacket. Heero definitely did notice that. He pulled at this jacket, self-conscious, trying to cover himself. But it was a little too small for his waist now. In spite of everything, he said: "I'm so happy to finally get to meet you."

"You too," she let slip tersely.

Duo had to bite his tongue not to call her out on her unwelcoming behavior. He didn't want to draw any more attention to it, hoping it would instead blow over; that she'd become as instantly enamored with the Japanese man as Duo had. "I figured this meeting was long overdue. And boy's gotta eat anyway."

"Eat for two, in fact," Heero joked.

"Sure. Sure. Take a seat." She motioned towards one of the empty booths and the couple sat down next to each other. She pulled her notepad free from the pocket of her rainbow flag apron – to match her vest – and she asked: "What can I get you?"

Duo chuckled. "Can't you sit down with us for a minute first?"

"Honey, I'm working."

There was only one other booth taken in the small diner and the group of friends had already been served their meals and were talking loudly while popping fries into their mouths.

"I guess I have a minute," she conceded and she slipped into the seat across from them. "How far along are you?"

That was a dumb question. She knew math well enough to figure out the answer herself.

"Three months," Heero replied.

"Hm, I still remember the first trimester, from when I was pregnant with Duo. It was rough."

"It was. I'm glad it's over."

"Yeah. I was puking all over the place. It wasn't just morning sickness. I was sick all day, every day."

"Mom. Let's dial down the puke-talk, yeah?"

"Right." She folded her hands and the bracelets jingled. It rang in a long silence.

His brain was scrambling to find something to say that didn't sound like something he was saying solely to fill the silence. Before he couldn't think of anything, his mother blurted:

"So who's the baby for?"

He widened her eyes at the insensitive question. It was unnecessary too, since she knew the answer to this one as well. He had told her.

"Uhm, I offered to be a surrogate for my two closest friends."

"That's very generous."

It was a gross understatement, still Heero said: "Thank you."

"Don't you want kids yourself?"

Heero shot an uncertain look Duo's way. "Uh, not yet."

"But you do want kids? You like kids?"

"Yes. Of course, but I-"

"Don't you think it's going to be very hard to give up your baby?"

"Mom." Duo glared at her, interrupting the interrogation-style conversation.

But Heero responded to her anyway, remaining remarkably calm when – lately – he could get teary-eyed over not getting a packet of ketchup to open. "It's not my baby. I'm only a surrogate."

"Sweetheart," the pet name was void, "six months from now – sooner actually – you are not going to feel that way. It's going to feel like your baby. And then you have to give it away."

"Mom!"

She looked at him defiantly.

"Duo, it's fine. Seriously, it's fine." Heero touched Duo's upper arm, causing him to jerk his angry glare away from his mother. "I know it's going to be difficult, Sylvia. But I love my friends and they deserve to be parents. They are going to be great dads and I am happy to be able to help them with that."

She reached out and she grabbed Heero's hands. "You're a sweet kid, Heero," she said and for the first time she sounded genuine. "But you have no idea what this is going to do to you. And what this is going to do to my son…" Her expression became sorrowful when she turned to face Duo.

He stared at her incredulously. He had not been expecting this from her at all.

She squeezed Heero's hands before letting go and then produced her notebook again. "What would you boys like to eat?"

"Are you serious right now?"

"Duo, let's just order."

At Heero's insistence, Duo resisted the urge to get up and storm out of the diner. They ordered their meals and his mom pushed herself up out of the seat and headed towards the kitchen window to pass along their order.

"I'm so sorry. I have no idea where that came from."

"I do. She's protecting you."

"From what?" He asked with a snort.

"From me. From all this baggage I'm burdening you with."

"You are not a burden," he stressed, looking into his eyes, needing him to believe that.

Heero smiled. A sad, small smile.

A few minutes later, she returned with their meals and milkshakes. She was nothing but smiles – a very pleasant and attentive waitress. Heero convinced Duo not to stay angry. The three of them made some small talk whenever she walked by their booths as more patrons started coming in. Now that she had said her peace, she seemed more approachable and friendly at least.

But he'd confront her privately some other time.

They were considering whether they should leave or order dessert, when Duo's name got called out.

He twisted in his seat and felt apprehensive watching five of his friends burst into the diner, Dorothy and Mike among them. He shot a look at Heero and meant to apologize in advance, but the couple was stormed before he could say anything. Friends clapped his shoulders and ruffled his hair, as they chastised him for not "being around much" anymore. His life had changed a lot over the past three months. He didn't go to clubs anymore and actually didn't spend much time with his friends at all, since going to clubs was basically all they ever did. He was happy living a slower, quieter life with Heero. Dates usually ended up being "Netflix-and-chill" and he was fine with that.

Everyone took turns shaking Heero's hand.

Dorothy and her twin brother Zechs slid into the seat across from the couple and the other three took the booth behind the two blondes. Mike sat farthest away and was mostly interested in the menu. Adam and Howie sat turned around in the bench, peering over the twin's shoulders.

"So this is who you've been doing," Adam said crudely, instead of "what" he had been doing.

He laughed it off. The guys were rude, he was used to it. Heero didn't appear bothered either. Still, with the way Adam leered at Heero, he couldn't resist scooting closer to him on the bench and eventually even wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

Wanting to get a more innocent conversation started, Heero asked the three friends he shared thye booth with: "So which one of you was the first to start growing out their hair?"

Dorothy and Zechs both wore their long, platinum hair loose, unlike Duo who always kept it neatly braided. The twins both having long hair was something between the two of them. It was a coincidence that Duo had also been growing out his hair when he met the two years ago. They were saying as much, when Adam interrupted:

"Like long hair, do ya?"

"I guess," Heero replied with a shrug.

Adam scrubbed his shaved head and feigned disappointment. But his act couldn't hide his grin. "Sucks to be me. Although, I have long hair too. Long, dark curls…"

The twins expressed their disgust at the remark.

"What are you guys all doing here?" Duo asked.

"We're just grabbing a bite to eat before going to Stone. They're hosting a wet T-shirt contest. Another charity thing."

"You should come with," Adam chimed in, never taking his eyes off Heero.

"I don't think people will want to see that."

Duo thought to himself that he wouldn't mind seeing Heero that way at all.

"No, I don't mean to compete. I meant to see me win."

Heero laughed at Adam's overconfidence, but Duo didn't like how forward his friend was being. He was used to Adam being this way, but he wasn't used him aiming his off-brand of "charm" at a boyfriend of his. It irked him. It made him feel possessive and protective.

"You guys could come," Dorothy said in all seriousness. "It'll be fun."

"I'm too tired and I have work tomorrow. But you could go, if you want," Heero said to his lover.

Duo had no intention of going to that bar and cheering on a bunch of drunk guys who were pretending to contribute to whatever charity was the talk of the town at the moment.

"So how did you get pregnant?" Adam blurted, leaning further over the back of the bench and the twins.

Heero let out a stuttering laugh.

"That's a question for a high school biology teacher."

"No, fuck you, Duo. I know how XYX pregnancy works. Sort of, I guess. What I mean is, you're not keeping this kid, right? Just cookin' it up for a friend, right?"

Finally, Adam was starting to get on Heero's nerves as well, after he had been a saint all over. "Right," he responded curtly. He still fought to maintain a smile, having a misguided notion that he needed to impress Duo's friends for the benefit of their relationship.

"So, like, did you let him fuck you once as a business transaction, or did you shove a turkey baster up there?"

Duo slammed his hand down on the table, earning him silence and shocked stares. "Shut the fuck up, you idiot."

Adam raised his hands in surrender. "I'm just asking! I'm curious!"

"No turkey baster, you sick fuck. He's a surrogate."

"_Surrogate_, so genetically that means… what?" he kept staring at Heero.

"It means that genetically I contribute nothing. They used an anonymous egg donor and fertilized it with one of their sperm."

"Well… it's too bad that the kid won't be pretty like you."

Duo rolled his eyes at the way Adam purred the words.

"You know, if Duo's ever not enough for you – sexually… I'd volunteer as tribute."

Duo clenched his hands into fists. He knew Adam was only joking and that he shouldn't overreact. He used to be able to laugh at these antics. But it wasn't funny to him anymore.

"I may not have learned this from any biology teachers, but I do know you get real horny and tight-"

"That's enough," Duo barked. He fished money out of his wallet and threw it onto the table. "We're leaving. Let's go." He got up and offered Heero a hand to help him scoot out of the seat.

"Duo. Shit. I'm sorry!" Adam tried.

Duo didn't listen to him. He said goodbye to his mother from across the serving bar and hooked an arm around Heero's waist as he guided him out of the diner. The cool air of the night provided relief from his rage. His flustered face chilled. The last of the winter cold prickled on his cheeks. They were halfway towards his car, walking in silence, when Duo stopped and shook his head, wishing he could clear this entire night from his memories. "I'm so sorry. That was… awful. My mom was awful. My friends were awful!"

"It's okay." Heero pressed himself against Duo's side, tucking his head under his chin.

"It's not. That was fucked up. You shouldn't have been treated like that! My mom acted like you are a threat – she did the same thing to Solo in the beginning. And my friends behaved like you're an oddity at a circus, or something. Fuck!"

Heero wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him. The tip of his nose pressed into Duo's chest. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The embrace was all Duo needed; to calm him down and to assure him that he needn't feel guilty, that he wasn't responsible for how others behaved. "Will you please come back to my place tonight?" He pleaded into the wild hair. "I want you in my bed."

Heero hummed his agreement against his chest.

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**I would have pasted the next chapter onto here if the time jump didn't make that so unnatural. You can expect it to be up soon. **

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**I'm pretty excited about the story that is currently (slightly) in the lead to get a sequel!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Carry Me Home**

"Oh shit!" Heero exclaimed, his voice having a hollow tone echoing off the tiled walls of the bathroom.

Adrenaline surged to subdue the fear and kick Duo into action. He leapt out of bed and sprinted towards the bathroom, coming to a halt bracing himself with both hands on the doorposts.

Heero stood there, naked, fresh out of the shower. Water dripped from his hair onto his belly as he looked down at himself. He ignored Duo, much to the man's chagrin.

Duo demanded: "What? What's wrong?"

"I can't see my dick anymore."

Duo stared, blinking – not doing much else aside from breathing. Then a laugh. Then, suddenly, anger. "_What?_"

"I'm serious. I can't see my dick," Heero restated, pointedly staring down at himself. His swollen belly of course obstructed his view.

"… You scared the shit out of me! Jesus…" He released a sigh and slumped against the doorframe.

Heero glanced up at him for the first time and raised his eyebrows at Duo's distraught expression. "I'm sorry. It just surprised me."

His tone was disarming. The last of Duo's anger melted away. He laughed again, at the ridiculousness of the discovery. "Well, don't worry. It's still there."

Self-conscious now about his naked form and Duo staring at him, he reached for a towel and wrapped it around himself.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I always sleep well when you're here with me."

Heero imitated gagging noises.

"Come on! This is what you wanted, right? You wanted romance?" he reached out and poked his side, then left him alone to finish getting ready.

Quatre and Trowa had invited them over for dinner. It was the first time since their shared lunch months ago that the four of them would be spending any time together outside of sitting shoulder to shoulder in the waiting room of the clinic, or crammed into the examination room. Quatre and trowa were both nice people and Duo liked them. But at the same time, all of them being together made matters more complicated, because it forced to surface certain thoughts that he'd rather keep in the depths of his mind: what is going to happen four months from now?

At least there was hope it wouldn't go as horrendously as the night at the diner. He still hadn't been able to completely forgive his mother, even though she had tried to explain actions as protective, nothing more.

The husbands lived about an hour out of town, in Trowa's family home. A small house that he had been working on rebuilding, since his grandparents had left it to him in their will. The wooden paneling of the outside was freshly painted white. The door was a vibrant shade of blue and it opened before Duo had parked the car at the end of the long driveway.

Heero climbed out of the low Mustang with a grunt, but refused to wait for Quatre's help.

The blonde stopped midway towards them and waited for them instead. He embraced his Japanese friend tightly and then admired his belly, putting his hands on him, which Heero didn't always like, but never said anything about.

"Have you felt it kick yet?"

"No, not yet."

They were invited into the house, where Trowa greeted them with better contained excitement and curiosity. He had been working on dinner. He was good with his hands in all regards; a good handyman, gardener, cook… Quatre was a lucky guy if his talents carried into the bedroom.

Duo was happy letting Quatre do most of the talking during dinner and the other two men seemed similarly inclined. The short blonde was a compelling story teller anyway, so never a dull moment. It was endearing how Trowa would stare at his husband. They were perfect together. They complemented each other so well. The love between them was apparent. Their home was lovely too. The living room was still being remodeled, but the kitchen and dining room looked professionally done, even though it was all Trowa's handiwork.

"Not much of a handyman yourself?" Trowa asked the braided man.

"Nah, not like this." He appraised the hand-made kitchen cabinets. "I like tinkering with my car, that's pretty much it."

"Heero mentioned you work in the car industry."

"Ah, yeah. I'm a designer.

"You design cars?"

"Hmhm." He took a sip of his beer. None of the others were drinking. Heero for obvious reasons and Trowa and Quatre because they had decided to cut alcohol since deciding to become parents.

The conversation meandered on. It hit Duo how strange it was that they didn't know these basic things about each other, but then again, he kept forgetting that he had only known Heero for five months.

"I want to show you something," Quatre announced once everyone had finished their dessert. His giddiness was barely contained.

"Okay…" Heero chuckled uncomfortably and let Quatre lead him down a hallway.

With a nod in their direction, Trowa prompted Duo to follow the two, while he hang back and started clearing the dishes.

He walked down the narrow, dimly lit corridor to the back of the house, past the master bedroom and a spacious bathroom. He heard Quatre chattering enthusiastically. The two of them had disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway and he stepped in.

The walls were painted a cheerful green. The curtains on the big window were patterned – it turned out to be small caricatures of animals. There was a comfortable lounge chair by a white crib and a changing table across from the door. There were so many stuffed animals in the bed, there wouldn't be any room left for a child. More of the fluffy, brightly colored creatures were piled onto the chair as well. An enormous teddy bear sat in the corner.

"Everyone keeps bringing these," Quatre said, picking a plush giraffe from the crib and hugging it to his chest.

"Don't lie. You bought most of them yourself," Trowa scolded mildly, coming to stand in the doorway.

He reluctantly admitted to his guilt. "I can't help it. I had a ton growing up. They were my only friends at some point. The ones that had been with me for as long as I could remember were really special to me. I want our child to have that as well."

Duo couldn't see Heero's face, he was standing behind his boyfriend. He wondered what he was thinking, being shown the room. Duo thought of his morning and how she had warned them how difficult this process would be. He'd wanted to dismiss her concerns, but he felt a weight fall on his unexpectedly. Standing there, in the perfect baby's room, in the perfect little home, with the two perfect husbands, he was jealous. He wanted what they had – what they would have. That blossoming family.

His time with Heero had been magical, but in a few months it would all come crashing down. Because they weren't working towards this – towards their own happiness, but towards someone else's. And it would just be the two of them. That was all he had wanted at the beginning. Now, he wasn't sure how it would affect them.

He swallowed a lump in his throat and put on a smile.

"We painted the room green, to keep it neutral. We really had ourselves convinced that we didn't want to know the gender beforehand. But," he squeezed the giraffe, "we realize now that we can't wait. And it's not just curiosity! It's mostly that we think we'd feel more connected if we can stop calling it 'it' and start calling it by his or her name."

Heero nodded.

"So, would you mind scheduling another appointment with Po to have the sex determined? I'm really sorry to keep dragging you into that clinic."

"Don't be silly. It's fine. I'll do whatever you want. It's your baby, after all."

Duo wished he could have seen Heero's face, to get a sense of what he was truly feeling.

"Oh my God, thank you! This is so exciting!"

"Yeah, just set up a meeting whenever. I can get the time off."

"Me too," Duo was quick to say. His boss didn't really understand the situation he was in, but didn't ask any questions either.

"Great, okay. I'll call tomorrow and hopefully she can spare some time next week."

They were welcome to stay a little longer, but Heero announced that he was tired and that he wanted to go home. They said their goodbyes and were walked back to the car.

The first few minutes of the drive, Duo didn't know what to say. He finally broke the silence by asking if Heero wanted to go back to his place or to his own apartment.

"My apartment. Please."

"Okay." Heero had been spending more and more time at Duo's place and he had enjoyed that. He had a feeling they would be sleeping apart that night and he did not look forward to that. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"They seemed pretty adamant last week that they didn't want to know," Duo mused, refusing to the child's gender.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel about knowing?"

"It doesn't really matter. It doesn't change anything."

Duo nodded. He let Heero be alone with his thought and get lost in his own mind as well.

He wanted what Quatre and Trowa had and would have. But he couldn't. And it was crazy anyway. He had to keep reminding himself: it had only been five months! Why did it feel like a lifetime? Or the start of one, at least.

He pulled into a parking spot across the street from the red brick apartment building. "Do you want me to stay, or-"

"I think I want to be alone tonight."

He nodded again. He leaned over and they shared a quick kiss, then Heero got out of the car. Duo wrung the steering wheel between his fingers. He considered going after him. Did Heero really want to be alone? Did Duo want to be alone?

He flinched at a sound coming from his right.

Heero had tapped his fingers against the window, having walked back to the car. His voice was muffled by the glass and it fogged up with his breath as he said: "I don't want to be alone."

He shut off the engine and climbed out. He kissed him first, then took his hand and they walked up to the apartment together.

The next day, he was late for work, having to stop by his house in the early morning to change into fresh clothes. During lunch he got a text from Heero.

**[The appointment is next Tuesday, 2PM.]**

**Ok. I'll be there. **

He packed a bag so he could spend the entire weekend at Heero's place.

Whenever they were together, time changed. It was like a dream. An entire lifetime could occur in only a few hours. The weekend lasted forever, yet, at the same time, was over too soon.

Before long, they were in that waiting room again.

Doctor Po teased the Bartons for changing their minds about wanting to know the gender.

In that very moment, Duo realized: he didn't want to know. He preferred thinking about this little life as he had this entire time, as a "little bean". That's what he called it. Just a bean. That's what it looked like on that first ultrasound. That's what he clung to, without even being aware of it. But with three words, it wasn't a bean anymore.

"It's a boy."

Quatre and Trowa were overjoyed.

When they left the clinic, they parted ways. Trowa joked: "I guess we should head home and start arguing about names."

Duo reluctantly dropped Heero off at the high school where he worked. He had a class, he kept saying, pretending like he was unaffected by the news they had gotten that afternoon. Logically, it didn't matter whether it was a boy or a girl. But knowing what it was _did_ matter. It changed everything.

Still, Heero merely thanked him for the ride and he got out and went to work.

Duo needed to talk. So, ill-advised, he went to see his mother again. He could always trust to find her at the diner. He was certain she spent more time there than she did at work. He would pity her if he didn't believe she loved every second of it.

The bell above the door rang, announcing his presence. Sure enough, a platinum blonde behind the bar looked over and a weathered, yet still beautiful face, lit up at the sight of him, only for a shadow to settle in her eyes when she tuned into his emotional state. She read his confusion correctly and offered him silence and time to think. She poured him coffee that he wouldn't drink. She cut him a slice of pie that he wouldn't eat.

He cupped his hands around the mug of coffee and felt it go cold. Then, all he could say was: "It's a boy."

She'd been writing the specials on the chalk board above the coffee machine, but she heard his soft-spoken words. She turned around, put the chalk away and dusted off her hands. She leaned against the bar across from him.

When she didn't say anything, like he had expected her to, words started pouring out of him instead: "We had this weird moment last week, at Quatre and Trowa's place. I want what they have – I want that with Heero. But, no, I-… I _have_ what they have. Only I don't, because we have to give it up, for them." He shook his head and bowed it. "Fuck, I'm not making any sense… What I'm saying is: they are this happy little family. And-… and so are Heero and I. The problem is, there's only one baby. And it's theirs. _He_'s theirs." He chuckled bitterly. "You must be dying to say 'I told you so'."

"I'm not. Seeing you hurting, hurts me too."

"I can't really explain why knowing the gender changes anything, but it does. I'm now very aware that I need to keep myself from becoming attached. That seemed easier before. It seemed doable. Now, Quatre and Trowa are at home, thinking about names for their baby boy and I'm sitting here thinking about names that I would like to give it. This is so dumb…"

"It's not dumb. It's human. It's evolution." She took the cup out of his hands so she could hold onto him. "Good men are hardwired to fall in love with the life that grows inside their partner. And you are the best man," she finished with a whisper.

He sighed.

"That is why I was afraid of you diving into this relationship. I know you wouldn't just fall in love with Heero. You'd fall in love with the child."

"All this time, I've only been worried about what it would do to Heero. I didn't think I'd get attached."

"How is Heero coping?"

"I don't know. I think he's trying to distance himself from the idea. When we talk about the pregnancy, he only ever talks about how it's made him 'fat' and 'hormonal'. He never even mentions…"

"He's protecting himself."

"Yeah. I think so. But I don't know how he can keep pretending that it's just a swollen stomach and nothing more."

"All you can do is be there for him when it hits him. But don't forget about yourself."

"Ohh Mom… what have I gotten myself into?"

She put her hand under his chin and raised his head. "Nothing you can't handle."

He snorted. "You didn't seem so sure of me two months ago."

"I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"If you both feel up to it, how about the three of us have dinner next Sunday? Start over? I promise I won't be a meddling bitch."

He chuckled.

"I really do actually like Heero." She leaned in closer with a mirthful expression. "Not in the least because he's a good shot at getting myself a grandkid one day."

"I don't even know if I want kids!" He argued with a laugh.

"Yes you do. You know now."

Yes, he did.


End file.
